Anyone considering themselves a skilled mechanic on account of having seated their own tubeless tyres is likely to be shaken by the exploits of Gustav Gullholm. Responsible for custom building some of the lightest bikes in the world, to say his creations start with a thorough stripdown would be an understatement; he literally peels frames worth thousands of pounds with a knife.
Already well known to many mountain bikers, having built a large following on social media thanks to posts and videos that straddle the ASMR and bike porn genres, he’s now turned his attention to his first drop-bar bike.
Based on the Scott Addict Gravel, his latest build takes a slightly different route to the one that’s seen him build the world’s most minimalist downhill and XC mountain bikes. Describing his intention as taking something nice and making it into something even nicer, the result is a 7.13kg (inc pedals) rendition of Scott’s top-tier Gravel bike. Focusing on looks, speed and performance, its rigid chassis nevertheless gave him plenty of opportunities to show off his skills.
Taking a knife to it
Beginning with a warranty-voiding 25-hour strip down using a knife followed by a lot of fine sanding, the frame was first denuded of both its lacquer and transfers. Custom bag mounts were then added to the frame and seatpost, with the surrounding carbon being reinforced.
Eventually built up with a host of exotic parts, including prototype components like 3D-printed titanium pedals and pre-release Trickstuff Strada brake callipers, it remains a bike that aims to be functional for day to day riding. Sticking with many of the original machine's Syncros components, such as the iC SL X one-piece handlebar and stem and customised Duncan SL aero seatpost, other parts were swapped for more unusual alternatives.
These include an incredibly minimalist saddle from German firm Schmolke, a wide-ratio 10-46t cassette and 46t chainring from Garbaruk, custom Ratio Technology carbon brake levers, plus an extensively rebuilt Sram XX1 derailleur featuring Ceramic Speed jockey wheels and Hopp Carbon parts.
Unsurprisingly, the bike’s wheels aren’t exactly stock either. Based around Tune Prince and Princess hubs, their Radsport Technik Müller MGRX45 rims received a custom paint job to tie them to the rest of the bike.
Famous for making nice bikes
Far more in-depth than the average posh parts and paint job hop-up, Gustav Gullholm’s work has built him a following of over 125,000 fans on Instagram. A Norwegian now based in Mora, Sweden, the 33-year old works as a mechanic by day. Creating his following a component at a time; eventually, his penchant for Scott’s often very light bikes as raw material for his builds has also led to a closer collaboration with the brand.
With the top-end version of its 2022 Addict Gravel Tuned gravel bike retailing for £7,699, there’s no running total on either the cost or hours of labour that this custom version has devoured. In fact, Dangerholm’s bikes never seem to make it onto the open market anyway.
You can find Scott's range here, and Dangerholm's Instagram here.
